File-This is a 2013 photo of DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans NFL football team. The Texans signed first-round pick Hopkins on Monday, July 22, 2013, giving them seven of nine 2013 draft picks now under contract. (AP Photo/File)

Photo: Uncredited, FRE

File-This is a 2013 photo of DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans...

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This is a 2013 photo of DJ Swearinger of the Houston Texans NFL football team. This image reflects the Houston Texans active roster as of Thursday, June 20, 2013 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

The most disappointing season in Texans history and one of the worst in Houston sports history eventually swallowed DeAndre Hopkins whole.

Unlike stars Arian Foster and Brian Cushing and former starting quarterback Matt Schaub, the rookie wide receiver remained on the field. But the No. 27 overall pick of the 2013 NFL draft was briefly benched for multiple mental miscues during a Week 11 home loss to Oakland. He ranks second among rookies in receiving yards (707) and 20-plus-yard receptions (11), fourth in total catches (44) and sixth in average yards per catch (16.1). Yet the 6-1, 218-pound Hopkins has only two touchdowns and has struggled with consistency, posting four contests of 27 yards or less - including back-to-back games of only 15 combined yards on two receptions - while recording nine games of 47 yards or more.

Fluctuating numbers are expected of first-year wide receivers, and Hopkins received praise this week from interim coach Wade Phillips, who said the former Clemson standout has done a "tremendous job" during his initial run as a pro. But the mind that counts most is far from content.

Hopkins has found an overall rhythm on the field and in the locker room, evolving from a training-camp rookie who intentionally avoided questions about himself into an increasingly confident 21-year-old with 13 pro contests on his résumé. He has only become more self-critical about his first season, though. While the Texans' 2-11 record - the worst in the NFL - is an embarrassing reminder of group failure, Hopkins believes he has let himself and his team down by not being more dependable.

More Information

Peer assessment

DeAndre Hopkins' stats:

CategoryNo. Rk.*

Receiving yards 707 2

20-plus yard rec. 11 2

Total rec. 44 4

Yards per rec. 16.1 6

*-Hopkins' rank among rookies

Rookie vs. vet

DeANDRE HOPKINS

2013 pace

Rec. Yds. TDs

54 870 3

ANDRE JOHNSON

Rookie season (2003)

Rec. Yds. TDs

66 976 4

Second season (2004)

Rec. Yds. TDs

79 1,142 6

"I'll take some credit as far as the (losing) record, because I feel like I can do more personally and take some pressure off Andre (Johnson)," Hopkins said. "I'm a hard critic of myself. Sometimes that's a bad thing. But I feel like the games I had 70 yards, I could have had 100 with just one more catch. For the average person looking in, they would say, 'This is a good rookie season.' But I don't think it is."

Learning experience

When the Texans take the field against the Colts at Indianapolis on Sunday, it will have been three full months since their last victory. It also will mark three months since the highlight of Hopkins' rookie season - a game-high 117 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime of the Texans' 30-24 home victory against Tennessee in Week 2.

Since then, Johnson has soared, with the 11-year veteran again proving he is one of the elite receivers in the league. Hopkins, who was drafted with the idea he could consistently open new space for his 32-year-old teammate, alternately has stumbled and glided. There was a 66-yard bomb from quarterback Case Keenum that nearly allowed the Texans to upset New England in Week 13. But there has been only one game in Hopkins' last 10 in which he caught more than three balls, and he has totaled just seven catches in his last four contests.

With his rookie season nearly complete, Hopkins feels like he has earned the Texans' trust and proved he won't be another first-round wideout bust. But he still is processing the secrets of the league and regularly fails to gain separation from defenders, often disappearing from Keenum's list of potential targets.

"The defensive backs hold so much in the NFL that you almost have to battle with them back - doing it in a slight manner that it's not obvious that you're doing it," said Hopkins, who has watched video of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice to learn how to better utilize his body to create a passing window.

Hopkins' self-awareness already has him eyeing this offseason as a critical stage in his pro development. Johnson caught 66 passes for 976 yards during his rookie campaign, then broke out for 79 catches and 1,142 yards in his second season. Hopkins is on pace for 54 receptions and 870 yards this year. A receiver who began 2013 saying he could eventually be better than Johnson now wants to be just like No. 80 in 2014.

"I want to have an Andre Johnson sophomore season," Hopkins said. "That's my goal: to have an Andre Johnson sophomore year or better."

Misery loves company

A Texans season that has only gotten worse has at times been hardest on the team's 2013 draft class.

But it is rookie safety D.J. Swearinger who has increasingly mirrored Hopkins' inconsistency, with the second-round pick from South Carolina blending bold hits with boneheaded plays.

Swearinger's 15-yard taunting penalty during a critical drive in the Texans' 27-20 loss at Jacksonville on Dec. 5 captured the futility at the end of the Gary Kubiak era. While Hopkins has begun to find his voice - shaking off the 24-hour drama that followed an obscene video posted by a hacker on his Instagram account - Swearinger's swagger has become muted. He has declined several interview requests in recent weeks, including another Thursday before humbly answering a couple of quick questions.

"It has been frustrating," said Swearinger, who has 47 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception in 13 games (seven starts). "I had high expectations, like everybody. But we're learning from it, and I think it's going to help us tremendously in the future going through this tough time, a lot of adversity. I'm learning a lot of stuff, both good and bad. I'm not saying I wished it happened, like we needed to go through it. But I think it's helpful for the future."

Coming of age

Hopkins is attempting to crank up his personal volume. Swearinger must learn when to turn his down, defensive backs coach Vance Joseph said.

"His problem at this point is maturing a little bit," said Joseph, who will handle defensive play-calling against the Colts. "He's always on a 10 (level). He's never on a seven or eight. That's half of his problem. That's a good thing and a bad thing."

Swearinger entered his rookie season saying his style of attack wouldn't change. He ended Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller's season with a devastating low hit. Then Swearinger watched veteran safety Ed Reed, a potential mentor, call out Phillips and the Texans before being released in November. With just three games left in his first year, Swearinger now understands he must adapt. If he becomes a real pro, the Texans could produce two long-term stars during an otherwise lost season.

"He's going to be a great player. … He loves to play, and he loves the game, and he loves to compete. That makes him special," Joseph said. "But sometimes it can be a little too much, and he understands that."